Don't Feel, Don't Think
by DragonNutt
Summary: <html><head></head>When the Xiaolin Dragons' elements get swapped, Kimiko must learn to master the Wind element, with or without Raimundo's help. RaiKim one-shot.</html>


Honestly, this was all Raimundo's fault. Sure, it had _technically_ been Jack who stole the Sun Chi Lantern and tried to use it against them, but Rai had responded with both the Reversing Mirror and the recently-won Cube of Haniku. When confronted by his alarmed and slightly altered teammates, he had sheepishly admitted that maybe using both Wu at once had been a bad idea.

The monks had their elements back, but not quite in the way they wanted.

"Wind!" shouted Kimiko.

The responding element lifted her off the ground and promptly threw her over the gardens and into the courtyard. She hit the grass and skidded to a stop. With a groan, she rubbed her eyes. As long as Jack had the Sun Chi Lantern, the four monks were stuck with their swapped elements. However, Jack was currently hiding out at Chase Young's lair (probably uninvited), which made their task to retrieve the Wu slightly more challenging. Until they could gain some mastery of their new elements, they were stuck at an impasse.

She heard tiny footsteps trotting over to her. When she opened her eyes, the Dragon of Water—temporarily the Dragon of Earth— smiled down.

"Do you need assistance, Kimiko?"

"No." She hobbled to her feet, brushing the dirt off her pants and frowning at Omi. "Shouldn't you be practicing your own element?"

Omi raised his arms, and a pillar of earth lifted him from the ground. With a jump and kick, he sent the pillar crumbling and then beamed. "I already have! I mastered all your elements long ago, remember?"

She sighed and tried to comb the knots out of her hair. "Great. Then—uh— shouldn't you be helping Rai with his?"

Omi sighed and shook his head. "I did my absolute best to educate Raimundo of all the intricacies of Water, yet he continues to struggle. Since he fails to make any progress, I thought my most useful knowledge would be better served assisting you."

Kimiko's nostrils flared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Omi blinked, expression innocent. "Raimundo and Clay are struggling to harness their elements at all, yet you have been flinging yourself over rooftops all afternoon. You are in far more danger than they are, and so your mastery should take first priority."

Pointedly turning away from Omi, she said, "Yeah well, I don't need any help, okay? I can figure this out on my own."

"I suppose that should not surprise me. Wind is by far the easiest element to master, in my immodest opinion."

"It's 'in my humble—' No, actually, your version fits you better."

Before Omi could make any more comments, Raimundo bolted onto the courtyard and called, "Dude! I figured it out!" When Omi darted to the taller monk, he continued, "But I need supplies. I need you to get me a bag of flour, a pitchfork, the Lotus Twister, and two buckets."

Omi blinked in confusion for a moment, but when Raimundo gave him a desperate, pleading look, the little monk dashed away to fetch the requested supplies. Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "What are all those things for?"

Raimundo grinned at her. "For getting rid of Omi." Walking to her side and taking note of her scuffs and tangles, he asked, "Having fun?"

"Bucket loads." Kimiko took a deep breath, channeling her emotions like she did with her own element, and when she breathed out, she swung her arms outward. "Wind!"

The responding gust threw her thin body across the courtyard. She slammed into the temple roof with a painful thud. She heard Raimundo call out in concern before she rolled down, grabbed onto the ledge to stop her fall, and lightly jumped back to the earth.

"Girl, chill out before you start breaking bones. You're trying too hard."

Kimiko brushed at her knees, ignoring yet another set of forming bruises on her legs and arms, but before she could shoot a snappy retort back at the Shoku leader, he pointed a finger and asked, "Can I take a guess at how your fire powers work?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Um… sure?"

"'Cause here's the thing: you have to make the fire yourself. It's not there already, so you have to ignite it somehow, right? With your mind?"

She ran her hands through her hair. "Sort of. But it's more like… I use my feelings, like anger and stuff." She waved her hands for emphasis while she spoke, but then she finished it with a lame shrug.

"Right. Cool." He strolled over to her and gestured at the empty air around them. "But here's the difference: the wind's already here, all around you. You don't need to spark it into existence; you just need to make it do what you want."

Kimiko took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She heard Raimundo start to mumble something, but then he quieted. She focused on all the air around her, trying to gather it like she did with flames. When nothing happened, she scowled, and the storm in her mind started to rumble.

As her frustration flared, the wind whipped around like blades, and her feet left the ground. Before she could spin out of control with a panicked yelp, Raimundo grabbed her hand. When he skidded under her, she dropped and landed in his arms.

For a stunned second, with their faces inches apart, Raimundo's cheeks turned a hint of red. Kimiko stiffened, but before she could jump out of his arms and back onto her own feet, he set her down and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You—uh—you were trying too hard again." Raimundo scuffed his foot on the ground and awkwardly glanced back toward the gardens.

Kimiko let out an aggravated sigh and yanked at the tangles in her hair again. "But when I'm not trying as hard, nothing happens. Anytime I focus, it goes haywire. No matter how much I concentrate—"

Raimundo raised his palms to stop her. "That's the thing. You're not supposed to concentrate. Or… you are, but—" His fingers floundered in front of him as if they were hunting for the right words. "Using Wind isn't something you _feel _or _think_. You just _do_."

"How?"

"It's like… If you had to walk across the field and pick up that rock over there—" He pointed across the courtyard, "—then you'd just walk on over. You wouldn't _plan_ each step ahead of time, you wouldn't _think_ about it first, you wouldn't _feel _the muscles as you moved… You'd just _go_."

"But here's the problem, Rai: I already know how to walk."

"You didn't always know how, though. That's why you're like a baby."

Kimiko gritted her teeth. "Like a _baby_-?"

Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Work with me, girl. Babies have to learn how to walk, but they don't think about walking. They just keep trying until they get it right. You have to do the same thing."

Kimiko sighed, looked up, and braced her legs. After several seconds of nothing happening, Raimundo asked, "Was that too confusing?"

"No!" Kimiko whirled around and balled her fists. "I'm not stupid, Rai, and I didn't ask for your help. If I can't do it your way, I'll figure it out on my own!"

Raimundo flinched at her flaring temper but didn't step away. Holding his palms up, he said, "Girl, calm down! I know that. You're the _best_ at figuring things out on your own. It's just that… I don't think I'm explaining it right. I want to help you out, but I don't want to make things worse."

Kimiko glared at him for a moment, but then she sighed and unclenched her hands. "Fine. I… Sorry." She brought her hands to meet behind her waist. "So… trying too hard. How do I try less hard?"

Raimundo put a finger to his chin, and finally he said, "You know, you're really short."

Kimiko stared at him. "Um. That's relevant because…?"

"Like, you're really, _really_ short. I never noticed before since we have Omi for comparison, but you're tiny." He stepped closer to her, ignoring her bewildered expression while he laced his fingers with hers. Grinning down, he said, "I bet I could rest my chin on your head."

Kimiko stammered, "How is that—? You better _not_—" She wasn't sure what the warmth flushing through her cheeks meant, but she quickly decided it was righteous fury.

Raimundo smirked. "You know, I have to look straight down to make eye contact. I'm literally looking down on you."

"_Excuse_ me?!" When the wind spun around her, she rose straight up to his eye level and shouted, "I can kick your butt into next week, you jerk! You think you're funny? It's bad enough that Omi talks about my upper body strength and Clay's too chauvinistic to admit girls can take a punch, but I thought _you_ of all people would never—"

Her rage stuttered to a halt. Raimundo's grin had only grown wider, and she realized that once again, they were nose to nose. This time, he wasn't holding her up. The wind whirled around her, twisting at her ankles while she floated in front of him.

"Like I said." Raimundo squeezed her fingers, keeping her steady in the unpredictable gusts. "Don't think. Don't feel. Just _do_."


End file.
